Botan's hand laid upon the gate of the Minamino residence. A few thoughts raged in her head, each fighting to gain dominance and dictate the rest of her already frazzled demeanor. She double checked her pink mid-length skirt to make sure it wasn't too revealing. She flattened her bushy bangs to no avail. She kept inching back ever so slightly with every intention to bail.
The young women's bumbling thoughts preoccupied her so much that she didn't notice an older woman exit the front door with a green watering can in hand. There was a pause in her step as the black-haired woman looked upon this pretty, sky haired one.
Shiori Minamino, in her time as a mother to a growing teenage boy into adulthood, has had many young women visit the house. There were those that came in singles or big groups. Kurama would always catch her after school and urge her to direct them elsewhere. There were those that came in with their family, courtesy of Shiori's invite and Kurama's displeasure. This one, however, came to no initial warning or direction beforehand. This surprised the older woman quite a bit.
"Hello, are you lost, dear?" Shiori asked as she carefully approached the new visitor. She was met with a startled gasp and widening amethyst eyes.
"N-no I'm not! I'm sorry," Botan quickly bowed as soon she apologized. Shiori returned the bow with a warm smile.
"This is the Hatanaka residence, although you might be more familiar with Minamino. Are you here to see my son?"
Botan nodded. "Yes actually. Um, I'm Botan. It's very nice to meet you, er-"
"Shiori. Just Shiori should be fine."
Botan flushed at the response and decided to remain quiet as the older woman steadily gazed at her. Was she judging her? Does she look weird?
Botan even cursed the fox demon in her head. If he wasn't so insistent on her arriving in a more formal manner, then she wouldn't be in this position.
"Did Shuichi ask you to come by?" Shiori further asked. She suddenly had memories of random girls who would pass by during high school, hoping to catch her son off guard. Instead of unwittingly placing her son in what she assumed was an awkward situation, Shiori made sure to get more details.
"Yes, I'm supposed to accompany him in town today before heading to the temple," Botan answered. "I've been helping him with a project over there. Has Shuichi told you about it?"
"Only a little bit," Shiori admitted while shaking her head.
"Oh, that won't do," Botan gasped. Her face lit up with joy and Shiori found it hard to stop staring at the young woman. "In fact, of all the plans he has made over the years, this one is his best yet! I would love to tell you more about it."
There was a slight twinkle of surprise and glee that appeared in the older woman's face, but Botan didn't further think of the implications. To further investigate it would bring about ideas that she had not considered seriously.
Shiori put down the watering can and moved to open the gate to their house. "I'm delighted you decided to visit. You can tell me more about it. Please come in," Shiori cooed, quickly ushering the young woman forward to their front entrance. Her firm and decisive action were so eager that Botan had to comply without a single moment for hesitation.
Upon entering the household, Botan felt a dense scent of roses and nature snake up into her nose. Almost suffocating if it weren't for her experience being around Kurama.
"Shuichi, your friend is here," Shiori called out.
Botan's eyes followed the bundles of vellum paper and colored pencils strewn across the floor that lead to the dining room table where Kurama had seated himself. He was hunched over a few books and looked over his drafts every minute or so to make sure he was inscribing the plans just right. Botan didn't realize she was staring until Shiori had gently pushed her in.
"Good morning Botan, I didn't expect you to come so early," Kurama greeted as he stood up from his chair. He took a quick look at his watch just to make sure he didn't lose track of the time. He had been deeply involved in his research and specifications.
"I usually try to arrive around 15 minutes early," Botan answered sheepishly.
"That's nice, isn't Shuichi? She doesn't want to keep others waiting," Shiori piped in with a pleasant smile. Shiori looked between her son and his guest. Seeing both faces flush ever so slightly further delighted her. Before Botan could protest, Shiori gave her a firm push and guided her to the dining room table where Kurama sat. With another firm push on Botan's shoulder, Shiori planted the bewildered young woman right next to her son. She then walked into the kitchen, but not before saying, "Don't get too settled Shuichi, come help me make some tea and get a few treats out if she hasn't had breakfast yet."
Kurama quickly passed Botan an apologetic look. To his relief, she returned a bright smile with a sparkle of humor dancing in her amethyst eyes. Botan then waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen to signal her acceptance at the situation she was thrust into. "I haven't had anything to eat yet so something small would be nice," Botan said. And with that, he left to assist his mother.
As he walked into the kitchen, Kurama spotted Shiori placing a kettle on the stove to heat up. A tea set was already prepared right next to her as well. A few balls of red bean mochi stacked neatly in a plate also caught his wandering eye. His eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion, but he knew his mother well.
He walked over to grab the tea set and then paused for a few moments before picking it up. Turning his head to look at his mother, Kurama met eyes filled with both suspicion and curiosity. Of course. He thought correctly on the reason why Shiori insisted on him helping her.
"I can tell she's a good girl, Shuichi," Shiori started.
"Mother, please-" Kurama tried to protest.
"Don't be bashful! We've already had discussions about dating before, so I'm not sure why you're so embarrassed about it now," Shiori teased.
"Well, we're not dating, so please don't try to embarrass her any further with your notions," Kurama replied as a faint red hue started settling on his face.
"Heavens, embarrass her? She would be so happy at the thought, my son," Shiori muttered, thoroughly surprised by his use of words.
Kurama made no attempts to discuss it. His silence only encouraged Shiori to continue.
"Remember Yui Sato? Or the other girls I introduced you to? I thought for sure at least one of them would be a good fit. I thought Yui was getting the closest as a friend. She would always call and sometimes you even took her out for a few dates."
Kurama's face fell in displeasure, but he quickly looked to the side in order to avoid his mother's observing eyes. "I'm sorry the set up didn't work the way you would have liked it, but that doesn't apply to this situation."
"Well, I only brought it up because you need to call her back. She has been insistent, and I expect there was no closure either."
Leave it to his mother to make him speechless. When it came to matters of the heart, she always poked her head around in his business to offer as much advice as possible. It was the one topic that she always snooped around in.
While Kurama would rather put this issue to rest, Shiori always gave him sound advice when it came to forming relationships. His demon side had a lot to say, but his human side knew that advice would not bode well for the human world framework.
"Now, let's bring these back," Shiori announced as she poured the last bit of hot water into a teacup. Kurama acknowledged by picking up both the tea set and plate of mochi before swiftly exiting the room ahead of his mother.
Botan had been sitting in the dining room, humming to herself while paging through every book that Kurama had been scouring. From landscaping architecture to horticulture to starting a business in agriculture. All were human world concepts she was barely familiar with. A slightly frustrated expression crossed her usual pleasant face and Kurama had noticed while setting the tea down.
"Is something troubling you?" He asked while handing her a cup.
"Oh, of course not. I was just thinking about how smart you must be. You know so much about spirit and demo-" Botan paused quickly as she caught Shiori entering the room. She quickly sputtered, "Ah, about general information on gardening… and business things. Very impressive!" Then she mentally hit herself for sounding silly when Kurama shot her an almost tense look.
Shiori paused before taking her seat at the table. She didn't miss this slip. Instead of questioning it more, she decided to enjoy her son's glare and their guest's bashful laugh. Kurama was always known to be as polite as possible but seemed comfortable enough to show impatience at his companion's bumbling nature.
"I was worried about Shuichi at first too, but even out of school and work he still pursues studies. A very entrepreneurial spirit I would say," Shiori chime in.
"We don't have to go that far," Kurama quickly stated. His shoulders relaxed slightly, but he kept had his gaze steady towards Botan in case she forgot herself again.
"You shouldn't be that modest. You have Yusuke and Genkai excited about your project. I would say that's quite a lot already," Botan firmly spoke up. She returned his steady gaze with her own challenging ones.
"Yusuke? Do you still keep in contact with him? I remember at my wedding your friend Kuwabara mentioning him," Shiori gasped with delight as she started putting the pieces together in her head. "Does that mean you know them as well? Are you all friends?"
Botan nodded in excitement, "Oh yes, we're all quite close. Unfortunately, we don't get to see each other as often as I would like."
Kurama noted her eager and happy nature regarding the topic. He never really admitted it… but she was right. To hear her say it only helped him further the confirmation in his head that the initial and begrudging team up between everyone had turned into something positive.
"That's a relief to hear. Shuichi barely mentions you all," Shiori said. Kurama shivered slightly when he sensed his mother's unapproving eyes lay upon him.
"Oh, I can understand… we are an odd bunch," Botan quickly said, worried she might have revealed too much. "A good odd bunch," she added after realizing what she just said.
"Well, if you're there, I can believe that. Which reminds me. Botan, you weren't at my wedding. It would have been nice to see you there," Shiori mentioned. She looked at Botan first, but her gaze slowly shifted over to her son's. It was an almost accusatory tone once her eyes settled on him.
"I invited her, but unfortunately Botan was the one who was incredibly busy this time," Kurama quickly answered. Botan had opened her mouth to answer, then shut it tight as she realized Kurama seemed upset at what he just said.
"T-that's right. My… employer was very demanding at the time. Pulling me this way and that. I really do apologize!" Botan stammered. If she recalled correctly, Kurama at the time seemed okay with it.
"I think Botan is making it up to me now by helping me build a greenhouse," Kurama said. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he turned to Botan. He enjoyed making her squirm. "Isn't that right?"
Botan nodded fervently. "Absolutely! I'm pretty good at supervising the boys. Even though they agreed to help build it, I'm afraid they would just argue with each other more."
Laughter erupted from both of them as they thought of Yusuke and Kuwabara having to work together with hammers, wrenches, and saws.
"It'll be a disaster," Kurama added. The group always worked together to tear things down, not build things up.
Shiori had been keenly listening while eating mochi and sipping tea. The conversation between the two came naturally, and further proved how long they have been friends. Or perhaps it was the girl's open and friendly nature that goaded her son's secretive one out. Either way, it just felt right.
They were just friends though, which is alright. Shiori believed it when her son had initially protested her, but if they were given some more room to grow and a bit of discovering then just maybe.
Shiori right then and there decided to stop pushing her son too much. No more matchmaking. No more pressing him to get out there and get a date with a fine young woman- or man if he had so desired.
"Sounds like you two know how to handle it," Shiori finally chimed in.
Her son was always the calculated type. Always controlling people's perception of who he was: charming, polite, the perfect son. A complete gentleman. Shiori always noticed his rigidity and paranoia toward maintaining this facade. But since coming back from his trip overseas, Kurama lost a bit of that composure.
"Sometimes," Kurama answered and poked Botan ever so lightly on her arm. "Someone here can be incited easily."
An indignant Botan went to swat him away. "Perhaps you would like to trade places with me, Shuichi. The constant barrage of jokes and teasing can certainly wear down a girl," Botan replied as she stuck out her tongue.
"If it only weren't so easy," he smirked.
"Not you too!" Botan cried out.
Yes, Kurama certainly loosened that vice grip he held on his being. Shiori wasn't sure where to attribute the cause nor did she want to assume it was because of this young woman, but she was thankful that Botan came along to show her this change.
"Well, I'm sure you both need to start leaving then. It sounds like you have your work cut out for you," Shiori finally spoke up. "And perhaps you'd like to come visit soon, Botan. I would be glad to have you and we can talk more about your friends and Shuichi's project."
Okay, maybe Shiori wanted to help them out just a little bit. When she noted the surprised look from her son and the delighted expression that lit up his companion's face, Shiori knew she made the right decision.
Their visit took a little longer than they expected. After Kurama and Botan finished their tea and snacks, Shiori had insisted on showing their new visitor around the house, much to the chagrin of a certain fox demon when his old baby photos surfaced. His mother also insisted on setting a date for Botan's next visit, along with specifying any foods the ferry girl favored or any allergies that should be made aware.
Shiori always knew her son to be patient and polite whenever it came to her. However, on this day, she could see the bubbling annoyance hiding beneath his expression.
And on this day, as Shiori continued to merrily chat and step outside of the front entrance to see them off in their path, Kurama abruptly cut into the conversation between his mother and Botan. He interjected with an exasperated tone and a curt statement. Shiori was left hanging mid-sentence.
To shock herself even further, Shiori realized she didn't mind. Her perfect, calculating young son- in another show of how much he changed- finally lashed out at her. In Kurama's teenage years, she could never tell her coworkers stories of a typical bratty son being rebellious and outright stupid. Although not as brash, at least this was a step in the right direction.
Shiori gave out a hearty laugh when her son started apologizing profusely. He even came to the point of bowing his head repeatedly, but she quickly wrote it off and patted him on the shoulder to stop. Botan, in the meanwhile, looked on in wonder the whole time.
"Shuichi, don't feel bad about it," Shiori said, then gave her son a big hug. Kurama looked at her with an abashed face on as she pulled away, but his mother's sparkling eyes full of warmth and amusement steadied his guilty mind.
"In fact, I'm going to take that as a sign of good things to come," she added after pulling out of the embrace and pushing him and his companion down the walkway.
They all made their final goodbyes to each other. All three left with excitement to the next planned date.
The pair were walking in comfortable silence for a long while. They fell in step with each other as they made their way into town to purchase materials for the new greenhouse. Kurama enjoying the presence of a familiar friend. Botan taking in the fresh smell and the oncoming hectic sounds of human life.
It did not take a while for Kurama to notice his companion's increasing restlessness. He did not attempt to find out why, because he assumed he would eventually find out. So when he saw Botan raise her shoulders gradually and then release it with a deep sigh to accompany, Kurama knew he guessed correctly. Although the words that came out hit him unexpectedly.
"Do you think she'll ever know one day? About who you are?" Botan carefully asked. Kurama took a quick double take on his companion. He spied her peering at him with hesitant but curious eyes. The sudden question hung over the pair awkwardly, like a few hours ago when his mother started showing diaper pictures.
Botan saw his face turn slightly away. A slight feeling of apprehension formed in her heart at the sight. She always had a tendency to talk and ask questions without realizing the ramifications of her actions.
"I don't know," Kurama admitted. Simple and to the point. Usually, he understood the next steps but found himself at a loss when concerning the case of his dual being and personal relationships. Even more so in recent time once the missions and adventures with the spirit detectives came to an end.
Botan nodded, relating to his predicament. She had watched family relations from afar for a long time now, but concept and practice were different. Even more unfortunate, the situation has always been surrounding the passing of a loved one. She took another pointed look at Kurama, then turned her head to concentrate on the cars passing by on the road next to them. "I don't know either," she finally said with a sigh.
A short silence passed between them.
"But to what I have observed over time," Botan decided to continue after fighting herself over it, "then it seems the truth eventually finds a way."
Kurama finally turned to her, his eyes shining in an almost hurtful way. "It that's the case, I'll let time run its course."
The bustle of the crowd started humming louder in the background as the pair walked closer to the commercial district.
"When I ferry, some souls tend to linger if they leave such important things to time," Botan spoke a bit more firmly, regardless of how Kurama bristled at the conversation. "You never know what happens in such a short span of human life. So no matter what type of closure, at least an attempt was made to reach closer to the one they love the most. When that is accomplished, those dissatisfied spirits tend to accept their passing into the next life."
Botan then slowed her pace a bit and looked back when she noticed Kurama slightly behind her. She was about to apologize until she heard his voice speak up, much to her relief.
"You must have learned a lot in your time as a ferry girl," Kurama said with a small smile forming on his lips. It was an appreciative smile. A bit admiring even.
"It can be stressful at times, for sure, but I do enjoy making the passage from death to the afterlife easier. It's already such a sad event," Botan said with an embarrassed laugh. "I must sound silly," she added.
"Not at all. In fact, I'm frankly upset at myself for not asking about it earlier."
Botan started laughing even more. "Oh, believe me, it's not something that you would want to hear. Most of the time you get a lot of spirits eager to leave human world! You should have seen Yusuke when I first met him."
Kurama, noticing her growing nervousness, decided to ignore it. He stopped abruptly and grasped her arm.
Startled by the sudden action, Botan almost whipped behind and bumped into his strong but lean build. She felt a growing embarrassment at her heart thundering in her chest when he steadied her body with his firm grasp. She hoped that Kurama didn't notice as he drew her in.
"Thank you, Botan," Kurama murmured. He gazed down into her surprised amethyst eyes. There was a feeling of closeness that seized him, but it wasn't because of the physical boundaries that he had been slowly removing each time they met. "I would like to hear more stories you have about the spirit world and your role in it."
Botan's mouth remained slightly agape in response to the sudden pull from Kurama. With a few mental pinches to wake from her stupor, she shook her head and stepped back only slightly. His grasp on her remained firm.
"I'm not sure... I do have a lot," she warned him.
Kurama chuckled, "I will hear it, even the ones that have troubled you."
"W-Well, you must tell me more about demon world then! And your time there in the past," she added.
"Perhaps, but then you'll have to throw in some stories about working under Koenma and how you've been the last year I was gone," Kurama then countered, growing even more amused by how unwilling she seemed. For a girl who loved to chat quite a bit, Botan seemed reluctant to share too much about her life in spirit world.
"Same goes for you! You have a lot of explaining to do," Botan shot back, almost laughing at his persistence.
"Only if you agree to meet me at least once a month, because we have a lot to cover," Kurama then hovered a finger on her parted lips, barely brushing against it with the pad of his fingertips. His hazy gaze trailed from her shocked eyes to her pointed nose and down to the pink, plush lips that formed a pout. "And that's it. I won't hear anything else but a yes."
Botan's legs almost fell at the close proximity between the two. There were only a handful of times when this happened. Many were necessary during missions when Kurama needed to save her or when Botan had to stick close due to the dangerous conditions in their environment. Only a few were voluntary, and those moments had been within the past few days since his arrival. As a result, the most she could muster for an answer was a strangled, "E-eh?"
And with that, Kurama pulled away. He stifled a laugh with his hand before managing to say, "I'll take that as a yes."
Watching her bewildered face with a jaw drop and bright red apples on her cheeks further drove Kurama to break his muffled laughter. There was always enjoyment in teasing Botan. Yusuke and Kuwabara had done so frequently in the past and with such a friendly level of candor that eventually Kurama felt comfortable enough to start following along. With his friendly ribbing of Hiei on occasion, he was able to catch on quite easily.
Amidst his building laughter, Kurama recalled the first attempt: while he was eager to catch her off guard with a sarcastic quip, Botan was the one to turn tables by easily giving him an affectionate look and happily laughing. No suspicion. No fretting over his joke and trying to change who she was for him. No retaliation in anger.
"Y-you!" Botan presently cried out, ready to fight back. But upon a more calmer examination of her companion, Botan instead trailed off at the sight of Kurama's laugh starting to seize and take over. She puffed at her bangs and placed both hands against her hips. "Fine, you win," Botan grumbled.
But somehow, his teasing today was different. Kurama knew why, and his mind continuously called out to him to surface those simple thoughts and words to the front. He knew why he found it funny, why it gave him so much joy. It was an unbidden thought, however. One he squashed quickly before it dictated any other future actions towards his dear friend.
So Kurama let his laughter die down before taking lead again in their journey to the hardware store. He gave her an innocent smile, which she easily accepted, then made big strides with a focus towards their destination. Botan dutifully followed.
The pair walked again in comfortable silence for a longer stretch of their walk. Noticeably, one had moved in a little closer. Shoulders almost touched with each step forward. He would occasionally glance at her. She would look elsewhere in obvious avoidance.
Kurama often found her eagerly focused on families gathering near restaurants or admiring dazzling store displays. "I'm surprised you would want to turn down a chance to talk, " Kurama teased once more in order to draw her attention back to him.
"Oh please, I know when there is a limit to things," Botan laughed.
"That's not what Yusuke said about you."
"Yusuke and Kuwabara rubbed off on you. You guys are just incessant with teasing!"
The two continued with friendly conversation as they weaved their way through the more dense crowds that started forming in the commercial district.
"So what do you say?"
Kuwabara eyed the rearview mirror to observe his friends. Yukina looked over her shoulder as well. On her pretty face was a happy and eager expression, enough so to goad a clever fox demon and a bright-eyed ferry girl into saying yes. But the potential prospect bewildered them and only continued their slight doubts.
Kurama looked out the window to watch the passing foliage on the road to Genkai's temple. The endless sea of sparkling green marked by the shimmer of golden light signaled the ending of the day. It was surprisingly peaceful and relaxing, considering the lead up to this point.
Yesterday, the group decided to split up tasks for the day. Kuwabara and Yukina went off to pick up the truck for the day while Kurama and Botan were asked to do the shopping. Yusuke apparently had to take care of other business that he had adamantly kept quiet about and hinted towards possibly seeing the group later in the day.
Presently, they were getting back into town to return the truck they borrowed to pick up wood and tools from the hardware store. Kuwabara, however, proposed a different plan before they had to get rid of their transportation for the night. Apparently, he needed Shizuru with him to return the rental tomorrow.
"I never knew he was such a good cook," Botan chimed in. She watched Kuwabara back in the rearview mirror to gauge his reaction.
"Yeah, I'm telling you. It's real good! At first, I was going to turn down a free meal, but then the smells got me!" Kuwabara exclaimed. He put on an almost simperingly delighted face. Botan had to direct her gaze outside.
"When did he start focusing on this?" Kurama asked.
"Well, that whole time you were gone I think," Kuwabara answered. "He put in a good year of work learning to cook. He also managed to buy and put together the ramen cart with his own money. Can you believe that guy? I couldn't believe it myself! Actually, I'm even more surprised at how he kept it a secret for so long. I didn't find out until 2 weeks ago when he finally asked me to see it..."
As Kuwabara continued to ramble on with his story, Kurama and Botan both looked up front again. Yukina still looked back patiently waiting for an answer. The pair then turned to look at each other. Botan shrugged. Kurama nodded.
"I think we should go visit him then. I for one am excited to see what he manages to cook up," Kurama finally answered. Yukina clasped her hands gratefully, ecstatic at the notion of them all going to dinner together.
"Yes, what could go wrong?" Botan cheerfully added and joined in the ice maiden's excitement. Outings like this came rarely and with Kurama's return, the occasion was appropriate for a celebration. There seems to be no better way to spend her second day of rest from the spirit world.
"Right, I've been going there the past few weekends. Urameshi is starting to get annoyed though, always yelling at me about how I'm driving away customers," Kuwabara banged the driving wheel with his fist. "But come on! You should see the types he pulls in lately."
"Remember Jin, Touya, and the others from the Makai Tournament? We've bumped into them on occasion," Yukina clarified. With a light appearing in Yukina's eyes as she recalled the demons, Kuwabara bristled and started shaking slightly in anger.
Yukina always had a good heart, ready and open to accept most people. Because of her kind-hearted nature, Kurama suspected his orange-headed friend to be easily incited into jealousy over the smallest thing. Appropriately, Kuwabara started his onslaught of words disparaging of said demons. A confused Yukina worriedly patted him on the shoulder to calm him down.
Kurama started to pity Kuwabara more. The lovesick puppy will be in for a rough ride with that kind of sentiment towards men engaging the ice demon.
'Love', Kurama thought as he turned to look at the sky-haired woman sitting peacefully beside him, 'is the most prized treasure, and yet the most dangerous enemy of all.' A few thoughts then floated into the familial love of his mother, which proved to be a big crutch all throughout his life. But, Kurama was always ready and willing to accept all the burdens of retaining the love of his mother.
Romantic love proved difficult, especially with humans. A sudden memory of Maya Kitajima entered his mind, but he quickly buried it. A more recent interest also presented itself in the form of Yui Sato, but he also wiped the thought before it took hold. He didn't need to add weight to his burdens. And if he can avoid it for as long as possible, he will.
'But she's different,' Kurama allowed himself to think as he continued to look at the woman beside him. He pursed his lips into a thin line then slightly shook his head. Kurama tried to focus on the vehicle and its movement that started to mimic the frazzled emotions of its driver. Alarming, he would think, if not for the more distracting ideas entering his mind.
Botan, in midst of all the banter upfront, enjoyed the changing outside scenery as soon as Kuwabara took off in his rant. The dense nature of their route started to spot with residential housing and various stores. Human activity sprung into life once more as the truck rolled into the city. Even though darkness fell into tall buildings that decorated the horizon, lights grew brighter and the chatter of crowds grew louder. Something she always loved about the human world.
Before Botan met Yusuke and everyone, the human world seemed at arm's length for a long period. While her interactions with the recently passed informed her of human nature, she was but a mere observer all the time. Botan wanted to believe she was once human long ago. The familiarity was there, but the memory was empty. And with that emptiness, she always worked to fill it with the tasks and duties that were placed upon her in the spirit world.
But now, the streets they traveled and the foods they shared brought the human world alive. For better or for worse. And it was because of all her friends here.
Botan glanced up at Kuwabara and Yukina who now laughed together. A pretty blush settled on the ice demon's face when Kuwabara continuously apologized and crooned his love for her. He realized he was making her uncomfortable with his negative barrage on the friendships made with those demons over time.
Botan then carefully turned to Kurama who was now paying attention to the two upfront. He held a fond expression as he watched Kuwabara's antics and Yukina's shyness.
She was tasked to watch over Yusuke and the rest of the spirit detectives over the years. Admittedly, she watched Kurama with keen interest. Not only did he demonstrate himself as dangerously capable, but he was compassionate and fiercely loyal.
Kurama was inspiring. Absolutely a demon worth admiring, even though spirit world would make sure to correct that opinion. Botan continued to stare, not realizing Kurama taking notice. And suddenly, the fond expression she observed on his face deepened when emerald eyes met hers.
Maybe it was because of him too. But the ferry girl held this thought close to her heart, not yet ready to accept it.
Botan returned an embarrassed smile when recognition passed between them. Although she did not say anything, Kurama could see a panicked apology crossing her face when she started realizing the steady gaze they held together. He would have none of it.
"I'm glad you were the one to come along with me today. Thank you," Kurama placated with a soothing smile. "I think we'll have a good time at dinner tonight."
At the sight of sincerity in his eyes, Botan perked up ever so slightly. She graced him with a bright smile. "I'm glad we went together too," Botan agreed.
Kuwabara's chatter masked the more mute murmurs between the pair in the back. He did not notice the growing affection behind him.
Yukina noticed. Even through all of Kuwabara's outbursts or winding stories, she managed to catch the words passing between the occupants in the backseat. She did not dare look back but kept on a permanent smile for the rest of the trip.
The truck finally slowed to a stop in an alleyway just beside the ramen stall. A few lingering rays of the sun remained, but darkness mostly cloaked the streetways. People crowded the walkways in the main street, but the location of Yusuke's ramen stall nestled comfortably in a more private area.
Kurama and Botan both noted the warm glow of lanterns and the delicious wafting scents as they exited the truck and approached the small cart. Somehow, it was inviting and comfortable, even next to the roaring trains that occasionally passed by.
Pots and pans clanging in the background grew louder as the group brushed away the overhead curtains and made their presence known to the owner. It was their favorite former spirit detective donning a waist apron and a large white headband. He was at the sink, furiously scrubbing away at his dishes.
"Oi, Urameshi!" Kuwabara greeted. Yukina bowed deeply. Kurama and Botan paused for a beat to take in the startling sight of all the prepared food and a large boiling pot of broth before greeting Yusuke as well.
"Welcome, welcome!" Yusuke boomed as he turned away from the sink to face his friends. He held onto a large ladle and a pair of chopsticks as he crossed his arms. He stuck out his chest and inhaled before bellowing again, "So I see Kuwabara was successful at his mission!"
"Not like it was ever hard in the first place! How hard could it be to bring people to dinner," Kuwabara cried out. He took an end seat at the smaller segment of the L-shaped counter. The short side only seated 2, while the longer one offered 4 seats.
"I had my worries, Kuwabara. It took you a week before coming around," Yusuke shot back and scrunched up his nose.
"It's not my fault you were being too evasive about it," Kuwabara yelled back. When Yukina slid into the seat next to him, he cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "Usually you're so upfront about everything that I didn't realize you were dropping hints the whole time."
"It was only when I asked you upfront that you finally realized what that I was asking you to come to the ramen cart," Yusuke mused. His chocolate brown eyes then moved to observe his good friends visiting the cart for the first time. "If I talked to Kurama about it, he would've known right away."
Kurama moved into the seat at the corner next to Yukina. "I'm surprised I didn't hear about this earlier," Kurama said in disappointment.
Yusuke didn't reply immediately and instead watched Kurama place a hand on the seat right next to him. Yusuke then glanced up at Botan whose face lit up with glee. When she happily took the invitation, Yusuke tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows. Curious.
"Well, with you just getting back a couple of weeks ago, I didn't find the right time. At this point, I wanted it to be a surprise to everyone!" Yusuke finally answered. He kept a watchful eye on his former assistant who leaned in to whisper at Kurama and giggle behind her hand. That's a new development. "What's so funny, huh?" Yusuke cut in, to which Botan immediately shot back an annoyed look when he interrupted.
"I said, I could come here every day if I knew you would be wearing that outfit and serving me food like that!" Botan loudly repeated and folded her arms. She leaned into the counter and then expectantly looked up at their cook for the night.
"Only if you're paying! This ain't a charity y'know," Yusuke grumbled. "And you gotta look the part if you wanna be something, Botan. You wouldn't know about that."
Botan shrugged, "It's not my fault people in the human world have misconceptions about life after death."
"Do enlighten us mere humans, Botan," Kurama said with a twinkle in his eye.
"You are relentless today, aren't you?" Botan asked with a slight laugh. She then looked to the side when she recalled the events earlier today with Kurama. In a low voice, she answered more seriously, "Well, maybe I'll talk more about it another night."
Yusuke took a look at Kurama, who had focused his attention on the ferry girl the whole time. And then he looked to Botan, who had turned bashful all of a sudden. Yes, this is a new development. Was it always there, or was he more dense usual? Yusuke always thought he could read a situation pretty clearly, but this time he had to second guess himself.
"I've never heard of some spirit world stories," Kuwabara interjected. "You gotta tell me some!"
"Yes, I would like to hear some too," Yukina piped in.
Botan sighed loudly, "Why the interest now?"
"Maybe because we don't have demons trying to take over human world all the time anymore?" Yusuke rhetorically asked. "Turns out loosening strict laws and ending some prejudice works wonders for preventing the apocalypse."
"I would think, because of all the new policing structures that arose with the barrier coming down, that cases are now being delegated between multiple parties," Kurama said while he grabbed the cup of tea that Yusuke offered. The others received their cups happily as the chill of evening settled in.
Yusuke then slammed the hot tea kettle onto the stove. "Way to be practical, Kurama. I was trying to make a nice point there."
"I apologize. I seem to be stealing your thunder lately," Kurama said with a light laugh.
"Can it, fox boy," Yusuke grumbled. "Also, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily about your little disappearance."
Kurama sipped his tea in response.
"That's not fair, Yusuke," Botan spoke up, "You disappeared in demon world for a long time too!"
"Tch, at least you guys knew where I was," Yusuke retorted. He turned his back on them to tend to the huge pot of water in a rolling boil. Steam billowed out in big clouds of smoke as he dunked the noodles in their hot bath. He then hurriedly started bringing out ingredients in order to assemble each bowl easily: fatty slices of pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, the works. Yusuke worked fast and hard to assemble everything as each batch of noodles came out of the pot. All the while, he was able to maintain a clear mind. There was no pause in his movements when he added, "Don't tell me you weren't mad too, Botan."
Botan froze at Yusuke's words and at Kurama's gaze focusing on her once more. When Botan initially found out about his foray in demon world, she kept her worries at bay. She didn't want to seem like a pest, so she kept her inquiries and conversations about the missing fox demon at a minimum with the whole group. But boy, did she want to lead the charge to Kurama's house during that time period.
"I can't recall, Yusuke," she answered with an edge to her voice. She leveled a gaze at him while he dished out the noodles to each bowl.
Upon finishing, Yusuke innocently looked at her, "Oh, I guess I was talking to someone else with a pink kimono and a flying oar. She sure did seem mad that one night when we had everyone over Genkai's. I can probably ask Keiko about who that girl was-"
"Yusuke!" Botan cut in. She had shouted and almost threw her cup at him, but Kurama's watchful eyes restrained her actions. Instead, the young woman turned her gaze away and thoughtfully tapped her lips. Perhaps there was a moment, after finding out the news of Kurama's trip to the demon world, when she did say a few choice words about the fox demon to the whole group. Nothing that he should ever find out she decided.
"And what did you say?" Kurama asked right on queue. A radio silence stretched over the group. Kuwabara and Yukina watched closely. They both tilted their heads at the oddly contented expression on Kurama's face.
"Ooohhh, how could he abandon us! We're his friends! That jerk, does he not care about human world anymore!" Yusuke started in a sing-song voice. "I guess demons really never cha-"
"Yusuke! Shut up!" Botan cut in once more, this time animosity fully gripping her tone. Before she could make another heated statement, Yusuke plopped a hot bowl of ramen right in front of her. The fragrant steam of pork and broth drifted into her nose and helped calm her emotions down. She slumped down a little further into the bowl to avoid the many stares that pinned her.
"I probably did deserve that," Kurama finally said. He looked down into the bowl that Yusuke handed to him. His earlier, ravenous appetite abated as soon as he heard Yusuke's interpretation of past events. Although he was pleased to hear how affected she was over his absence, hearing those words about him hurt nonetheless.
"I'm certain Botan didn't say it like that, though," Yukina decided to step in before there were any further misunderstandings. "Maybe a similar variation of that, but I think she was more so just venting along with all of us. To be honest, I wonder why everyone didn't see you in the first place, Kurama."
Yusuke harrumphed, "I'm not his keeper! Besides, he'd come back eventually. We all knew. Sometimes you just gotta give a guy his space, y'know."
Yukina glanced at Kuwabara who was nodding vehemently and aggressively inhaling the food in front of him. She squinted her eyes, though, slightly doubting Kuwabara's affirmation of the notion. "Kazuma must be a little different. There's not a day that passes without him calling or visiting me," Yukina said with a pointed look to Kuwabara. He could only offer a raise of his eyebrows in response.
Yusuke laughed, "We tried to warn you."
Botan jumped into the conversation, latching onto Yusuke's reasonings as well. "Ah, right, I didn't think Kurama would want to be bothered too. You know, life and whatnot being busy and all," Botan said with an embarrassed laugh. Rather, she didn't know if she was close enough to the fox demon to be so familiar.
"Sounds like excuses to me," Kuwabara finally contributed through muffled sips and chewing. He then almost choked at the oppressive stares from both the ferry girl and former spirit detective that threatened to engulf him. "H-hey, Yukina is my priority here. Kurama can take care of himself," he said bluntly.
Botan straightened her back and then turned to Kurama. He had been quiet and a bit stoic throughout the conversation, but held a rather open posture. "Kurama, maybe I did say you were a bit of a jerk," Botan admitted. She clapped her hands together and bowed her head dramatically, "But it is true that I thought so back then! Sometimes, it's true now! If you're angry with me, I apologize!"
Kurama had to pause in order to take in the full admission. Botan had brought her head up to firmly stare into his wide eyes with her own determined ones. Yusuke was trying not to laugh too loud in the background. Kuwabara and Yukina ate quietly, but both listened closely.
Without missing another beat, Kurama began laughing. It was a more guttural laugh than his usual restrained ones. Botan had to pull away slightly as she watched his body shake and bend forward. Her face started glowing a bright pink and her nosy friends couldn't help but gape at it.
"No, I don't accept that apology," Kurama managed through sparse breaths. "I don't need one. You were right, I was being a jerk back then."
Botan's eyes almost bugged, "K-Kurama, no! I won't accept that!"
"You're going to have to deal with it, Botan."
"I only said it out of frustration once."
"That's perfectly fine."
"Not when I don't actually mean it!"
"But you were right to feel that way at the time. I didn't property tell anyone about my intentions. I didn't tell my friends."
"It's also not right when we just jump to conclusions about things."
"True, but without the right information being given I can properly understand that."
It was as if the world faded away at that moment. Both fully turned their bodies to each other, the bowls of ramen promptly forgotten, and three others left by the wayside. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Yukina looked at each other. Two of them were incredulous at the argument. One pleasantly enjoying the banter.
Yusuke moved in closer to Kuwabara and Yukina. "Do these guys even know how to argue?" he asked under his breath.
Kuwabara snorted, "I don't know, but seems like they should take a page from our book. Yukina and I don't ever argue, isn't that right sweetheart?"
Yukina giggled. Yusuke's face scrunched up disapprovingly, but still appreciated the quirk they had together. When he noticed both Kurama and Botan still actively engaged in each other, he decided to settle into a conversation with the two next to him. For whatever reason, that pair deserved a bit of privacy right now.
"Half the fun in a relationship is the argument. Keiko taught me that," Yusuke continued. He leaned an elbow on the counter and laid a cheek on his fist when Kuwabara went off on one of his rants.
"You didn't visit Genkai's before you went off to demon world too," Botan said almost too quietly with a red blush dusting her cheeks. During their conversation, she wanted to convey how upset she was over his absence. Kurama was unlike Hiei, and Botan expected better of him. Without being too confrontational, she murmured, "What happened to you, Kurama?"
Kurama, for only a few moments, did not offer any explanation. Rather, he thought it was surprising how much he started to like her at this moment. It was all too simple really and he never gave it much thought until he returned home to the human world. The growing attraction he held for her over the years now rearing its ugly head, forcing him to really consider what he was going to ask next.
"Remember we're supposed to have dinner? To talk about what happened," Kurama whispered. "We'll be trading stories. It's only fair." He deftly leaned into her and barely brushed her pinky with his hand before placing it right next to hers. When he saw her tremble slightly, a little voice in his head told him to just go for it. Anxiety and doubt be damned.
"Yes," Botan breathed. "That would be a good idea."
Kurama smirked when he saw her move back. Her cheeks turned into an even brighter red.
"Come meet me at Genkai's tomorrow at 5 pm. I'll take you out for dinner," Kurama said under his breath.
"Oh, you don't want to meet here?" Botan questioned. She felt herself getting a bit lightheaded.
"It would be nice for someplace more private," Kurama answered with a coy smile.
"I see, we wouldn't want Yusuke butting in all the time," Botan nodded.
"Then it's agreed," Kurama uttered as he swiftly leaned back. He moved his hand away from Botan's to pick up his chopsticks. "This looks delicious," he marveled and took in a deep breath.
Botan remained awestruck for a few moments. Only the sound of Kurama slurping the noodles helped ground her after. She turned to her own bowl and breathed in the rich, creamy broth.
"Yes, and it tastes delicious too," Botan agreed after she sampled a slice of pork.
A roaring train rolled by the ramen cart. The din of wheels against tracks didn't dampen the spirits of the happy group gathered on this night. They continued to carry conversations into the late hours of the day. Tonight, they celebrated each new beginning, both hidden and revealed.